Muses and Wishes
by HarvestMoonGlows
Summary: Birthdays aren't easy, you barely know what to get someone, even if you're close. So what could you get a puppet who has little but you're too nervous to even manage a whisper to ask him? Answer. Trust your elders. Pinocchio/Goldilocks. Gift for a friend!


**Oh yes, I got _epicly_ destracted. But this is neither here nor there! This is a gift for my best friend, Jenni-hime. I asked her what type of one-shot she would like and she requested a Pinocchio/Goldilocks to be done. I first thought this would be hard, they've never even met, right? But once she showed me a comic based off of most classic fairytales, it became much easier. It's called Everafter by Endling, a wonderful artist! And another note, in this telling, Goldi _knows that._ You'll see what I mean. ;)**

**Hime, meet your demise! XD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, Everafter belongs to Endling and all fairytales to whoever thought them up first!**

Muses to Wishes

It was all too much like a cage, minus the bars, of course. Clear crystal glass kept her from the outside world, trapped, like a firefly in a jar, only she was luckier then the said insect, she could breathe. But was that pleasure worth it, for the air wasn't even the same as the kind you found outside, it was tainted with disinfectants and a number of other cleaning chemicals. Most unpleasant. It didn't help one bit that people would stop rarely and stare at her. She wasn't so strange, was she? Just a simple girl, nothing about her would warrant such piercing and hurtful looks that made her feel like her unseen wings were pinned down, so that someone could examine her more closely.

But we're getting far too ahead of ourselves, aren't we?

It is only proper to recite the name of this caged child. Her name is Goldilocks, though in truth she prefers the nickname Goldi.

She wasn't sad, or miserable, or anything else totally unpleasant. She also wasn't blissful or joyful, she was merely content. Being stuck in Everafter was for most boring and that didn't help their wavering mental states at all, though the true state of their minds was a different debate all its' own, but otherwise Goldi had it better then others, even if it meant she was even more unstable.

She still had her favorite books with her, the only key to her escape so far, though that was just wishful thinking.

But then again, a wish is quite powerful, no?

* * *

As a new day slowly crept onwards over Everafter, so did a thought in Goldi's head. It had started out small, something she had merely shoved aside at first, but the idea persisted, no matter how much she shoved and pushed. By noon, she couldn't keep it at bay any longer and stopped and listen to this bubbling muse, sent by only Grimm knows.

There is a saying that goes, 'If you give a muse an inch, it'll take a mile'. This muse was one of the few with a good idea, as most muse are what cause rash actions and insanity, and Goldi didn't need anymore stress.

It should also be due-noted that this was the same muse that gave her the idea to enter the Three Bears household, but that's another story entirely.

Goldi frowned, contemplating the idea as the muse left her, its' job done. It wasn't such a bad idea, though it did make her blush a little.

"Well… what could it hurt?" She said out loud, something she was apt to do ever since she was a little girl.

She glance at the glass, past it, searching through the crowds for Pinocchio, or even a mop and bucket, a sign he was near. She sighed, finding no such clue of his presence. He was probably climbing in those cursed vents and such again; he was one of those worries that made her wrists feel markedly thinner.

She flopped back down on her comfortable bed, letting another sigh escape and stared at the ceiling, her mind becoming lost in its' blank never-ending white. She knew not how much time had passed when she blinked and was taken back to her colorful reality, but a soft tapping was heard, it sounded almost hollow.

Hollow? That was curious, she thought.

An invisible light-bulb went off in her head, and she sprang up like a spring and focused her eyes on the on glass, her heart pounding at the thought of her wait being over.

She was sadly disappointed to find it was only Jack, a somewhat crazed child who thought that he'd climbed to the heavens and stolen a harp, a bottom-less treasure chest and a goose that claimed to lay golden eggs, the first were never proven truth or fable, for they were never found, though his mother had claimed for the sake of her son she sold the two said objects. The goose, however, was proven false. It had actually been male all along. Despite these odd rumors she heard about Jack, Goldi liked him well enough.

"Waiting for someone?" He teased.

She wanted to smack herself, why was she blushing?! But she wouldn't allow him that pleasure. "N-no."

"Liar," he laughed.

"Am not!" She returned, her voice raising a little.

"You are, and I can prove it."

Damn it. He may have claimed that a giant beanstalk had grown in his backyard, but he was clever, always watching. Cursed eavesdropper. Heartless accuser. Arrogant punk. Smart ass.

"I'm sure you can, but I don't see why you'd want to." She tried acting nonchalant, but Jack only stared blankly back at her. She suspected he wasn't falling for it.

"One word…" He started, she winced and his slow smile. "Pi-noc-chio." He finished gleefully, singing out each syllable.

She flushed, deciding it better to say nothing for now rather than humiliate herself or admit the truth. It wasn't that she was embarrassed of the wooden chap, but rather that she just didn't want _that_ little factor known to the world, or rather all of Everafter.

It was something she'd only admitted to herself, her into most conscience, and no, not professor Cricket. She thought of him as… someone to be admired? A respectable friend? Or just that, a friend? She wished she had brought a dictionary with her when she was sent, so that she could pick out the right words, or even _word._

"You… are correct," she finally answered, finding it better to tell the truth rather than lie or stay silent so he could assume more.

He playfully stuck out his tongue, obviously pleased with himself. "Hah, knew it." He winked, she frowned. Please, she prayed to the Grimm Brothers, don't let him say it aloud… "So you _do_ like the puppet!"

It was one of those moments when she felt her creators had abandoned her, leaving her to her painful demise of her liver being eaten out for centuries upon centuries.

Ah, someone's been reading a bit too much Greek mythology.

"Ah, he's a…" She paused trying to find a word that wasn't insulting. If life had taught her anything, it was to expect the unexpected and that the fates loved to tease you and put you in danger, all for fun, of course.

"Friend?"

"No, no! He's…" She trailed off again. Why were words never to be found when you needed them the most?

"Acquaintance?" He tried again to fill in her blank.

"Not exactly…" Where was a muse when you needed one?!

"Associate?"

By this point, Goldi's frail mental state couldn't handle all these other words that in the end meant one thing, that the dear wooden puppet was just that, a simple part of her life. A friend. The word made her stomach turn a little.

"He's none of those things!" She yelled at the boy, her voice echoed from within the glass prison and outside it too. She winced as the sound made her ear pop a little, and judging by Jack's face, it wasn't just her. "Sorry." She quickly apologized; it was rare, almost impossible for her to raise her voice to such a degree. So much for making father proud, she reflected miserably, hand over her mouth to keep from spewing out more words.

With not a hair out of place, Jack opened his mouth to reply, no doubt with an annoyingly truthful answer, when, thank the Grimm Brothers, a not so subtle cough interrupted him. He turned, eyes wide at the prospect of getting caught, and came face to face with…

"Miss Ada!" Goldi cried out it joy. Unfortunately, that was one of the rare moments when Miss Goldilocks finishes a sentence before others. And you thought Jack was annoying when he does that.

Ada, as she preferred to be called, waved a hand dismissively at the blonde's jubilant cries and turned to Jack. He would have ran if he could have, but he new the old woman's ways, she'd hunt him down a hurt him that words alone couldn't describe. Therefore, he did not.

"Jack dear," she said, though Jack wasn't quite in the mood to fall for her 'sweet grandmother' routine, he shivered a little, hoping his bowels would hold. "Would you please refrain from teasing Miss Goldilocks?"

A simple question with only one simple, and smart, answer to be had. "Yes, ma'am." He answered back without missing a beat, robotically almost.

"Thank you," She smiled, her eyes becoming slits. Evil slits, Jack suspected. "I believe you should being going back to your quarters? We wouldn't want anyone to be worried, would we?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you," she repeated, chuckling as the young boy ran off. The old woman still had it, all right.

Goldi sighed, though this time it was with relief. She hoped that the scare that Ada had somehow instilled in him would keep him from babbling the obvious.

"Don't mind him," Ada said, turning away from the retreating boys back. "He doesn't have much that amusement in his ward, though it's still no excuse for his teasing."

Goldi smiled. Another reminder that she had it lucky compared to others. "I know." She murmured. A moment later she gasped. "D-do you think anyone heard?!" Her eyes went wide at her question, oh Fates.

Ada glanced at one of the open windows, pale moonlight reflected off her minuscule lenses. "You're lucky." Another smile.

Indeed she was; she could only think the Fates had been looking at another that night. Better them then her.

"Child, you look strange, as though a muse visited you." The old woman said all too knowingly.

Goldi busied herself with looking at one of the potted plants placed behind Ada. It was plastic, so Everafter didn't have time of patience or time to water and care for one? "…Must you read my mind?" She giggled.

"I'm afraid it's my job." She joined in the laughter. "Dear me, what idea did it give you?"

Goldi mumbled a phrase.

"Didn't quite catch that." Ada held a hand cupped to her ear, motioning for the girl to speak louder.

This time Goldi decided to simply say nothing, that potted plant was really quite interesting. So if they were too busy to bother with a real one, why even procure with a fake?

"Nor do I speak 'dots'."

"I thought you could read minds?" She laughed.

"It comes and it goes." Ada always had an answer, clever and quick, even for her age. Though one shouldn't judge by age or appearance alone, it could put you in a really quite tight spot. "So?" The single word her spear in this battle that she used to press forward, she wanted only to make sure this pesky muse wasn't going to give Goldi any… ideas.

"Well…" She fumbled, trying to find the right words so it wouldn't sound any stranger than it already was. "It… suggested that, if it ever comes around, I should… perhaps, give… Pinocchio a… gift." There. She felt a tad proud at getting it out, though her face was still red with the effort of doing so.

"For?"

Goldi sighed, must she force her anymore? On the other hand, she had finally decided that Everafter just put the plant there for decoration if anyone of higher breeding were too come, like those three and their confusing son had come earlier that week. "His… birthday." She whispered out.

Ada tapped her chin thoughtfully and 'tutted'. "Well, it was too be expected, though the muse had some truly bad timing, I'm afraid." It should be noted that Ada was _not_ an easily frightened woman, she had laughed in death's face, though it have given her a rude gesture it return, but she had merely laughed again.

She was almost too afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "Why?"

"It's tomorrow."

Shock was the worst word to describe the look on Goldi's face. "What?! How come I didn't know of this?"

It's a sad fact that Goldi didn't realize yet, those who were in their late forties often knew more than they let on. In short, old people knew a great deal then those in-between childhood and adulthood.

"Hum, I thought you'd know, seeing as how he's always apt to make you late." She winked.

"I…" It was useless to say otherwise, "don't know."

They were both silent for a moment, before another unseen muse seemed to strike Ada this time. "Leave it to me, dear." She simply said.

Goldi raised an eyebrow in question, she trusted Ada, but she wasn't so sure about that twinkle in her chocolate eyes.

"Trust me." The twinkle grew a little at the words.

Goldi nodded, finding it easy to do so once she looked at the facts. She wouldn't be able to get out of here glass prison anyway without getting caught, then she would never see the puppet ever again, rest assured. Then there was the added fact that she wasn't quite sure what do give Pinocchio. What could a puppet need, want, desire? She wasn't sure if socks were proper, so for now…

"Okay," she gave a thumbs' up as a reassured answer too.

Despite her confidence the previous night, she wasn't so sure now. There could always be that chance that the Fates were bored, or that he had to crawl up another cursed vent. She sighed as more of her confidence slipped away like water between her fingers. "You sure this'll will work?" She asked for the fifteenth time, glancing down at the lone cupcake.

It was chocolate with navy blue icing topping it, and a lone candle burned on the top. It was the candle that made her nervous; it was white with pink swirls like a candy-cane. Much too girly, she decided, but it was all she had. Oh Fates, she started to pray.

"Nothing on earth can stop a wish," Ada answered. …Unless this is the fairy I think it is, she finished privately.

"…I suppose." Goldi mumbled, trying to remember her last birthday and its' wish. Odd, she couldn't. Something seemed to…

"Ah," exclaimed Ada before she could finish her thoughts. "Here's the lucky boy now." She finished, not noticing Goldi's blooming face.

Scanning through the small crowd, Goldi finally saw him, he was slowly turning around a corner whilst mopping. Most were kind enough to notice the puppet and take another path for their destination, while the minority decided that it wasn't worth their time to take a detour for Pinocchio and simply walked over the still wet floor, ignoring his sighs.

At some point, he finally noticed the two women staring at him, but conveniently not the single cupcake in Ada's hand, and took this as a small opportunity for a break, since it seemed no one was going to have any consideration for it, and rather skipped over to the two.

"Ah, um, h-hey," he stumbled out, smiling a nit nervously. "Hello, Miss Locks. Ada." He tried again, this time not sounding as stupid as he thought he had previously.

_Just shove it in his hands!_ Goldi yelled mentally at Ada, whom seem to have read her mind a second time and promptly did so.

Pinocchio stared for a moment at the goodie, or more so the candle. "…What's this?" He asked innocently, looking at the two for an explanation.

The two schemers glanced at each other; this had not been in their plan. "Well, since it's your… birthday." Goldi managed out, tucking a strand of hair behind her, a sign of nervousness.

"It is a custom that on the eve of everyone's birthday they are to receive gifts and a chance to wish for anything they desire, usually by blowing out candles," she recited, pushing up her glasses as they slipped down her nose. "Or rather _candle_ in this case." She added.

Goldi and Pinocchio stared at the old woman, generally surprised. Goldi had expected the explanation would last longer with all her stumbling about and around words, while Pinocchio hadn't thought humans were any stranger 'til now.

"What do I wish for?" He tilted his head to the side, wondering if he looked at the melting stick at another angle, it would divulge its' secrets.

"Anything," Goldi piped in, looking around for something of inspiration. "Such as… a potted plant?" She let out a laugh, looking in the direction of the said object, only to find it missing. Odd.

"So I…?" He asked, trailing off so she could fill in.

"Blow." She suggested gently.

Ada couldn't help but smile at this passing scene, it reminded her of another once upon a time, but that was neither here nor there, perhaps another time.

The boy blew, as told, and waited a moment, still staring at the now black tipped candle and expecting some sort of magical creature to pop out of nowhere, singing a loud obnoxious song. Even if it would be annoying, it would still be _something._

Ada sighed, she had obviously feared this. "Looks like she's lost again." She said, leaving the two wondering who 'she' was. "Ah, well. Nonetheless, it'll be granted, I'll leave you two for now." She added before walking off, not giving either a chance to protest.

Goldi turned away from the old woman's back, silently wishing she had given her some kind of warning, and gazed at Pinocchio. If the Fates were kind, a certain crazed boy named Jack wouldn't show up.

"Happy birthday," She offered, shrugging a little, as though it would throw of her blush.

He grinned. For it being his first birthday, he thought it went well, even if this tradition of blowing out candles seemed odd. Goldi grinned back, but she could have sworn he wasn't carved from redwood.

Ah well, it is a mystery.

* * *

Somewhere half across the country, deep in a unknown woods, there was a sharp crackle and pop as a small pixie popped out from a tulip, or rather fell out of it. Cursing darkly, she brushed the pollen off her dress and look around with a huff.

"Great!" She glared at a chattering squirrel. "She gave me the wrong directions _again!_" The squirrel merely ignored her, having seen too many other fairies like her to be surprised anymore.

"Stupid squirrel," she muttered at the creature's back. "Stupid old lady." She added, thinking about the woman whose face planted itself in her mind.

"Fine!" She was now yelling at the sky, deeming the furry tree rat not worthy of even being yelled at. "I'll just go home!"

For those who may be concerned, worry not. There is a clause in fairy law that states if even if the wish is not personally granted, it will still somehow reach the said wisher.

Not caring to remember either way, the young pixie promptly threw down a egg shell white card and, with one final lasting glare at her surroundings, blinked out in another crackle and pop.

Written on this now abandoned card was the wish. Whose wish, you ask? Give it a moment and it will come. But while you do that, let's see what is on this poor piece of parchment. In child-like scrawl, with a few dark blurs like its' wisher had erased part of it only to rewrite it, was this simple aspiration.

_I wish for happiness_

**I hoped you enjoyed it. ;3 Once my muse gets going, she don't stop. Bleh, look at me here, spewing bad grammer. XD**

**Happy birthday, Hime. Review? (P.S. You don't need an account to do so!)**


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